Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly are eyeing providing money to expand broadband internet service, and the new federal stimulus package also sets aside money that can be used for broadband.
Brookfield Trustee Dan Suttles wants to do what he can to make sure some of that money has a chance to come to Brookfield. His first step is compiling a list of areas in the township that could use improved internet access.
“When big amounts of money come out, usually it doesn’t come to Brookfield, Ohio, or even Youngstown,” Suttles said March 8. “They go to the big cities. We have areas in Brookfield that don’t have internet, or it’s sporadic. We have islands. I want to try to identify those islands in Brookfield, so that we have this information, because I want to go fight for that money.”
promoSuttles said he already knows of South Obermiyer Road and the area of Sharon Bedford Road and Stateline Road as islands with poor or no service, and Trustee Gary Lees added North Albright McKay Road.
Residents and business owners who would like to be added to the list can call Suttles at 330-770-7785.
“Our children need it for school,” Suttles said of reliable internet service. “We need it to communicate with our public. If we get anything out of this (COVID-19 pandemic) good it might be that the attention will go to the infrastructure of our internet and improve it.”